2022 US Open Swimming Championships
- November 30-December 3, 2022
- Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
- Long Course Meters (50 meters), Prelims/Finals
- Psych Sheets (pre-scratch)
A rematch of a big World Cup battle and the absence of America’s biggest sprint names highlight the release of the 2022 U.S. Open Psych Sheets this weekend.
After a big short course battle in the 400 free at the World Cup in Toronto, which McIntosh won in a new World Junior Record time, the two will race again in Greensboro this coming weekend.
The American Ledecky has four entries in the meet (200 free, 400 free, 800 free, and 1500 free), and the Canadian teen McIntosh does too (400 free, 400 IM, 200 back, 200 breast), but the only overlap is in the 400 free.
Ledecky hasn’t provided any teases of ‘off-events’ for fans to hem-and-haw over for the next few days, and will stick to her traditional lineup. McIntosh, meanwhile, has made some interesting event choices, including a 200 back and 200 breast that she doesn’t usually race. That means no 200 IM, 200 free, or 200 fly: all events where she is the long course World Junior Record holder.
Both swimmers now train in Florida: Ledecky as a post-grad at the University of Florida, and McIntosh with the club team Sarasota Sharks.
The meet will have a lot of big names, both American and international, in attendance. That includes the first long course taste of Regan Smith since turning pro and moving to train with Bob Bowman at Arizona State. She has raced short course at an Arizona State dual meet, but that is her only official result since last summer’s World Championships.
Her Arizona State teammate Simone Manuel, the newest addition to a bulging pro group in Tempe, is not entered in this meet. Manuel was the top American female sprinter for a quad, and an Olympic and World Championship gold medalist, before overtraining syndrome interrupted her Tokyo run. She still won the 50 free at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Trials before taking an extended break from the pool.
With the US women still wanting for top-tier sprinters, Manuel is still very-much relevant in her comeback to training, though racing performances have been limited so far.
Another famous teammate on a break from the pool will also be absence: Team USA captain Caeleb Dressel, who left last summer’s World Championships early and hasn’t raced since. Dressel said in September that he hadn’t swum since pulling out of Budapest, and in early November he was spotted in a medical shoe.
But there will still be plenty of star-power and storylines, both domestic and international, in competition. That includes a number of international athletes competing in the NCAA system, who are using this meet as a long course racing opportunity to satisfy their international coaches, who aren’t necessarily concerned with yards competition. We’ll break down the best storylines later this week, but here are some of the highlight entries.
Observation: Swimmers don’t appear to be as over-entered as we’ve historically seen at these US Open meets. Perhaps a shift in culture is happening?
American Entrants
- Double Olympic gold medalist Chase Kalisz (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 breast) will battle, among others, the US’ top teen IM talent Baylor Nelson (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 back)
- Top American junior Erin Gemmell (200 free, 400 free, 200 IM)
- Emma Weyant, an Olympic medalist who still hasn’t raced for Florida since her transfer this fall (200/400/800 free, 400 IM, 200 back)
- World Championship 200 IM bronze medalist Leah Hayes, 17 (50/100/200 free, 200 IM, 100 breast, 100 back, 200 back
- America’s top sprinter since 2020 Abbey Weitzeil will race for the first time since her engagement (50/100 free)
- Tokyo 2020 Olympian and 2022 US Nationals runner-up Jake Mitchell (100/200/400 free, 200 back)
- Louisville junior Gabi Albiero, primed for a breakthrough college season and US Nationals runner-up (50/100 free, 100 fly), along with her brother Nic Albiero (100/200 fly)
International Entrants
- Canada’s top male swimmer and University of Florida freshman Josh Liendo (50/100/200 free, 100 fly) will get good tests against Serbian Andrej Barna (50/100 free) and American 50-meter-specialist David Curtiss (50/100 free) in the sprint frees, and Dutchman Nyls Korstanje plus Americans Aiden Hayes, Coleman Stewart, and Nic Albiero in the 100 fly
- Brazil’s best-ever distance swimmer Guilherme Costa (200/400/800/1500 free)
- Ireland’s Mona McSharry, the 2021 World Short Course bronze medalist in the 100 breast, a member of the Tennessee varsity (100/200 breast)
“Observation: Swimmers don’t appear to be as over-entered as we’ve historically seen at these US Open meets. Perhaps a shift in culture is happening?“
Was that Phelps and Lochte who started that?
I can’t say for sure, because in the early years of them, I wasn’t *this deep* in the sport. Maybe someone else remembers.
I know Gregg Troy was infamous for it among all of his swimmers.
Does anyone know what the $ symbol and asterisk is on swimmers?
I think the meet organizers recognize non U.S. citizens by one of these.
Idk because Summer Mcintosh is listed as a normal swimmer
Wonder if she’s missing an asterisk because she trains with a US club and/or that club didn’t mark her as international….
I wouldn’t take it as law. Asterisk is definitely for international swimmers.
I have no idea because even swimmers clearly marked Brazil don’t have an asterisk
Guilherme Costa is also not marked at all.
Asterisk before the name is international swimmers (not positive if they do it by real citizenship or sporting citizenship).
$ and # after the name usually indicate either someone hasn’t paid or someone hasn’t completed their required SafeSport trainings.
I thought $/# usually meant there was an “issue” with the entry time–e.g. the seed time doesn’t exactly match a time in the SWIMS database or something.
Just fyi…for domestic meets, the asterix is not always firmly attached if international swimmers are competing for US clubs. It used to be much more strongly adhered to, but in the past number of years, it has kind of become less of a thing. And it is supposed to be by real citizenship. There’s a box on the USA-S registration form where you have to check if you are foreign and then list your NGB if you checked it. Sometimes the box is missed, so probably what happens for the asterix to not show up.
Forget about Ledecky vs McIntosh in the women’s 400 meters freestyle. It’s Ledecky versus the clock in the women’s 1500 meter freestyle. It’s time for Katie Ledecky to assault the record books in the women’s 1500 meter freestyle (Top 25 All-Time Performances, as in all 25).
McIntosh (and Titmus) are the best things that could have happened for ledecky.
I wish I could upvote this more than once!
Yeah sure. Whatevs…
Will you still think that if she gets beaten in the 400 in Paris?
Has there ever been a swimmer who has competed longer and more frequently (and won) against Hall of Fame-calibre int’l swimmers in the course of her career than Ledecky? She needs Titmus and McIntosh? For what? To prove what, exactly?
Nah man. Distance womens swimming hasnt been the most competitive the last 10 years. Ledecky has basically competed against the clock
I hate the narrative that womens distance swimming isn’t competitive because I feel like it’s undermining Ledecky’s dominance…it’s not that womens distance swimming isn’t competitive, it’s that Ledecky is so good that she makes everyone else seem bad and when you remove her out of the equation womens distance *is* in fact competitive.
Where is this energy for mens breaststroke?
Totally agree. The narrative that female distance/freestyle swimming has not been competitive is simply wrong. Across an 11-plus year international career, Ledecky has competed against and won (without time off) versus, among others, Adlington, Belmonte, Friis, Ziegler, Sutton, Hoff, Muffat, Boyle, Carlin, L. Smith, Quadarella, Sullivan, Grimes, Kapas, Kohler, Hosszu, Pellegrini, Sjostrom, Haughey, McKeon, Franklin, Schmitt, Manuel, Oleksiak, Bingjie Li, Wang Jianjiahe, Pallister, and Melverton. Not to mention already having beaten Titmus and McIntosh numerous times, in multiple events.
If she goes a best time? Then yes
It’s certainly the best thing for the fans!
McIntosh (3:58.6 FR; 2:07.9 BK; 4:31.0 IM)
Gemmell in the 200 tho could she be under 1:56?
Maybe come Trials in June but I wouldn’t think so in December with presumably her main focus on SC Worlds,
Excited to see McIntosh in the 200 Back. Her backstroke in the 4IM has looked really good. While I don’t think it’s an event she’ll target for Paris (direct conflict with 200 Fly), it will surely only help her 400 IM.
Mattea Sokolow of TSM is one I’m watching out for this US Open. She’s been dropping a significant amount of time in her races lately, took 2nd at PSS in Mission Viejo in the 1500 last May going 16:59.